Types of Torture
by everyoneisMISunderstood
Summary: Pre-Heist Society. "Somehow, Kat never imagined she would be the one getting interrogated. At Colgan. By her so-called friend. About her hot friend, the boy who was none other than Hale." Oneshot giving you a taste of Kat's life at Colgan.


**(A/N) I finally got around to reading Heist Society, and boy oh boy, did I love it! Not only was the story good, but there was PLENTY of room for FanFiction, so if you like this, I'll probably be posting quite a bit more since the HS archive is pitifully small.**

It didn't happen very often, but when it did, Kat almost couldn't take it. Normally she was busy, busy with schoolwork or even her friends. But then there would be one moment where her dorm room was empty and she'd be alone with her thoughts. And there was always one place her mind tended to wander.

Her fingers twitched toward the secret hole in the wall where she kept her belongings. Her personal belongings, that is. The ones that she didn't want anyone to find because if they did, it would be like they could see straight into her soul, to the person she was trying so desperately to hide.

She resisted. She didn't get up because she didn't want to torment herself; she wasn't that crazy. Instead, she sat and stared at the wall, commanding silently, _Do not get the pictures. Do not get the pictures. Do _not_ get the pictures._

She got the pictures. Could you blame her? She hadn't seen them in months which was entirely too long. Hands moving deftly, she removed the strategically placed stack of clothing and reached inside her closet panel, slid the door and there! Kat tugged the envelope out, a slight smile reaching her lips.

Kat opened the envelope, telling herself that it wasn't too late. She could resist the urge some more, put the photos back and never take them out again. She told herself that it was torture, something foolish. But whoever said she wasn't foolish? Almost greedily, she ripped off the top.

The first one was when they were just kids, before _he_ was in the family. She didn't want to think about _him._ Not yet. So she just stared, stared and the way Angus and Hamish had mischievous grins on their chocolate covered faces. She stared at Gabrielle, already tall and blonde and annoyingly beautiful. And her father, just being himself.

She shifted the image to the last of the stack and went through them hungrily. It was the first time she'd broken them out and she let herself get absorbed in them. They were all just so beautiful, even when they were making creepy faces at the camera. They were her family and she missed them even though she was certain they didn't miss her.

Kat smiled when she got to her very favorite picture. It wasn't a happy smile, but it wasn't a sad smile either. It was just a smile.

His arm was looped around her waist as she squinted into the bright sun. Kat looked annoyed, as she often did when people took her picture. It wasn't that she was self-conscious… well, okay, she was a _little_ self-conscious, especially standing next to _him_.

They were just friends. No, that wasn't quite right. They were best friends, forever, they'd pinkie-promised, back when they were just kids. She broke that promise by leaving him, just like everyone else did. The thought made her heart twist in her chest, making her feel like she'd been done the terrible wrong.

She was losing her touch because she didn't notice the door opening. She didn't notice her friends peering over her shoulder. The worst part? She wasn't prepared for what came next.

"WHO IS THAT?" The screech was loud, nearly deafening and Kat resisted the urge to cover her ears. "Holy… WHO IS THAT?" She shouted again, snatching the photo.

Or at least, she tried to take the picture, but Kat was quicker. She smacked away Aimee's hand gently, not wanting the picture to be torn. "That's… it's nothing," Kat lied, trying to hide the picture.

"He's so _hot!_" Aimee exclaimed, brown eyes sparkling with excitement and maybe just a little bit of lust, which really, did not bother Kat one bit. No, really. Didn't bug her at all.

Kat only shrugged, once again trying to hide the picture. But apparently, Aimee wasn't having any of that. Gingerly, so as to not damage his pretty face, Kat assumed, Aimee picked up the paper. "You've been holding out on me," She said, wiggling her eyebrows as she scanned over his lean body, the tousled hair that was not quite blonde but not quite brown.

"Who is he?" She prompted again.

This time, Kat sighed. She was a thief yes, and thieves were known to be excellent liars. But somehow, she never imagined she would be the one getting interrogated. At Colgan. By her so-called friend. About her hot friend, the boy who was none other than... "Hale. His name is Hale," She admitted grudgingly.

Aimee frowned. "Not what I would have guessed, but okay."

"It's his last name," Kat confessed.

Aimee giggled. "So I see you have a nickname for him! Cute," She drawled, stretching out the word. "You two look great together."

Kat's eyebrows shot up. "What? N-no, it isn't like that." Aimee lifted her own perfect black brows, and Kat found herself stumbling over her words. "I don't exactly know his first name so I-"

"Whoa, there, Kat, didn't think you were that kind of girl," Aimee's eyes widened.

Kat shook her head, feeling her cheeks stain. "No!" She protested. "Aimee, He's just... I've known him for years, I just... it's hard to explain," She finally muttered under her breath, putting her head in her hands.

Aimee plunked down onto the bed Kat was sitting on. "Hey, I was only joking." Kat nodded, feeling miserable, which was rather unlike herself.

She'd always been the kid of girl that didn't need anyone. She was tough, she could stand on her own. She could stand without some idiotic boy that was, admittedly, ridiculously good-looking.

But she wasn't prepared for this. The few cute guys that had asked her out didn't matter. She had no trouble coolly refusing them, much to her friends' shock. She simply wasn't interested. And when asked about it later, she easily told them the truth.

So why was it so hard to tell Aimee the truth about Hale?

_Maybe,_ some voice in her mind whispered, _it's because it isn't the truth. And you're awfully good at lying, but you can't lie to yourself._

Kat decided to ignore the voice and instead determined it was because she had spent too much time pretending to be something of a girly-girl.

"So," Aimee said softly, "I'm guessing this is why you didn't go out with any of those guys."

Kat's head jerked up and she met the stare of her sweet friend. "No," Kat replied. But she had told too many lies and could recognize one right away, especially when it passed her own lips.

"Aha, the denial phase. Oh, how I _hate_ the denial phase."

Kat stared at her friend like she'd just grown another head, which she might as well have. "Excuse me?" Kat asked, and was grateful for any reason to use her typical sass.

Aimee smiled. It was a smile that spoke of secrets, ones that were untold and took years to unearth. "You _like_ him. You totally like your crazy hot friend."

"No!" Kat shot back, scooting away from her friend. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head adamantly. "I don't like Hale. We're friends, best friends. That's all."

Aimee shook her head, dark hair falling around her face. "Oh, Kat, Kat, Kat. You can't be 'just friends' with a boy that gorgeous. It's impossible."

"Sure, I can!"

Aimee nodded her head. "So you do think he's gorgeous?"

Kat frowned, angry that she'd allowed herself to be cornered. No one ever talked to her like this, and especially not about Hale. No one ever let her be a normal girl, and Kat couldn't decide if she liked it or not.

She didn't respond.

"You miss him. But you never mentioned him," Her tone was accusing, almost hurt. Aimee didn't get hurt very easily, it was one of the reasons Kat liked her. There was none of the stupid, senseless blubbering that came along with being a teenage girl. The two had become instant friends.

But no amount of strength could keep Aimee from being a girl. She still loved boys, and evidently, was willing to torture Kat to get the information she wanted.

Kat locked a gaze on her friend. "Maybe that's _because_ I miss him."

It was the closest thing Aimee would get to a false confession, and they both knew it. Aimee sized up her answer before throwing her arms around her friend. Kat resisted the urge to push her away, though with all the fake PDA Hale tended to pull, she should've been used to random hugs. She squeezed her friend back and pulled away.

* * *

He didn't mean to stare. He just wanted to see her, but when what he saw was her gazing at the picture he'd barely gotten a glimpse of, he found it hard to look away. She wasn't as beautiful as Gabrielle, but she was certainly pretty with short-ish black hair and bright eyes.

Hale recognized the picture. He still remembered the heist they'd pulled on the day it was taken, the memory almost made him smile. But he didn't smile as much since Kat left.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop, either, but when Kat jumped as her friend started screaming, he had a feeling he'd want to hear the conversation. He was right, of course. When was he not right?

He watched as Kat blushed, even stammered a few times. He made her blush, or at least, the thought of him did. He smirked at the concept, perhaps giving himself too much credit but not really caring.

Hale's fist clenched as the girl, Aimee, mentioned other guys. Kat's brow only furrowed as she thought of them. He almost laughed. She still found it strange that guys were attracted to her, she never even noticed when they checked her out. But Hale noticed.

She wasn't herself. Wasn't as strong, wasn't as... Kat. He wondered of leaving, if being separated from him affected her too.

When she confessed that she missed him, Hale knew he was doing the right thing. He knew that getting her kicked out would be worth it in the end, for both of them. He knew it was okay that he was about to make her really angry, and he knew it was okay because she'd get over it.

Because whether or not she'd admit it, it was torture being apart.

**(A/N) I liked the way this turned out, what say you? ;)**


End file.
